Finding a True Vocation

When we are children, people say to us, "What do you want to be when
you grow up?" At that age, we usually have dreams. We know that we want
to reach the Moon, or learn to fly the fastest aircraft in the world, or save
endangered animal species, or make some brilliant scientific discovery that
will transform human lives. We are not yet old enough to worry about job markets
and balancing budgets and supporting ourselves and our families. We have only
our dreams and the secret certainty that we are unique and have a very special
thing to do in life. Even if our parents have different dreams for us, we know
the difference between their dreams and our own. When we are children, we are
still capable of hearing the voice of the soul.

As we grow older, the questions change. People say to us, "You had better
start thinking about what you want to do with your life. How will you make
a living?" There is no longer time for dreaming; we must now "face
reality" and think about how to survive in the big, bad old world. The
inner sense of specialness fades before the numbing evidence of high unemployment
figures, stiff competition for every job application, and economic swings and
downturns which make us feel we are fortunate to get any kind of work at all.
And if we find ourselves discontented in that work, or we lose our jobs, we
feel demeaned, devalued, and unable to trust our deepest dreams and aspirations,
because there might not be any other work. And even if there were, we have
probably long since lost that inner connection which could tell us what makes
our heart sing and restores the sense of having a very special thing to do
in life.

"Career
and Vocation" is
about your vocation. It is meant to help you get a sense of what you might
be good at and what might be good for you, so that
your working life has a meaning as well as a pay cheque. If you are looking
for a direction, astrology could help you to find it; if you already have one,
astrology could help you confirm and perhaps enhance it. The English word "vocation" comes
from a Latin root which means "to call". Having a calling implies
something higher or deeper - an inner Self or soul which knows what we are
really here for. Today we use the word "vocation" mainly in relation
to those who feel a religious calling. The challenges and problems of the changing
world, with its rapid and unsettling advances in technology and its shifting
political and economic currents, have frightened us and turned our minds away
from the inner importance of what we do in life. Yet so many people feel directionless
or are unhappy in their work, even if they are well paid for it. Few of us
possess the luxury of inherited wealth; most of us must make our own way in
the world. Work, no less than relationship, lies at the core of our lives and
occupies most of our waking hours. Yet we may be unable to think from the centre
outward - to focus first on who we are and what inspires us, and then seek
vehicles for this in the outer world. Instead, we think from the outside in,
focusing on what others, or our own hidden insecurities, tell us is possible.
We are not brought up to know and trust ourselves and our abilities, but rather,
to know only the limits of external reality. And then we hammer ourselves into
shape to fit them.

Because every birth horoscope is unique, astrology teaches us that each individual
has a unique nature and a unique set of abilities. While a horoscope cannot
tell us which company will offer us a job, or how much we can expect to be
paid, it can help us to understand that, if we wish to feel our lives matter,
we need to express in the outer world at least some of who we are in the inner
one. No job is perfect; we must all compromise. What matters is that what we
do connects us to something special inside, something that makes us feel worthwhile
and impels us to offer our best to life. The insights of astrology are not
literal and specific. They are symbolic and psychological, and tell us about
spheres of life which inspire us, needs which nourish our souls, and personal
limits which mark the boundaries of what we are capable of achieving in one
lifetime. We cannot become other than what we are, and no human being contains
all possibilities. We are all good at different things. The right mix of realism
and faith in ourselves can ensure that we feel our passage through life has
been worth the effort.

To make the best use of the astrological insights offered by "Career and Vocation",
it is important to remember three things. First, a sound understanding of one's
needs, potentials, and limits is far more important than the facts and figures
presented to us by the outer world. It is not that facts and figures do not
matter. But even if there is only one job available and four hundred applicants
seeking it, we possess more power than we realise to create our own reality.
If that job is truly right for us, and we are prepared to do the necessary
preparation and training, we will achieve it - somewhere, some time, somehow.
Second, we must not be afraid to try. Trying and failing and trying again are
far better than not trying at all, for we can learn from our failures even
more than we learn from our success. Understanding why we might unconsciously
court failure or fail to seize opportunities may also be important. Many people
are dogged not by lack of ability, but by a deep unconscious conviction that
they do not deserve to be fulfilled. Understanding ourselves more deeply can
help us to distinguish between real limits and unnecessary self-sabotage. Third,
a birth chart cannot, of its own volition, create our opportunities for us,
any more than a road map can make us take a journey. A birth horoscope can
show us a direction and encourage us to make manifest our highest values and
most cherished dreams. But each individual must make the decision to set off
down the road. If we refuse through fear or cynicism, and remain sitting on
the doorstep yearning for what might have been, we cannot blame either astrology
or the world for our discontent.

As one of the largest astrology portals WWW.ASTRO.COM offers a lot of free features on the subject. With high-quality horoscope interpretations by the world's leading astrologers Liz Greene, Robert Hand and other authors, many free horoscopes and extensive information on astrology for beginners and professionals, www.astro.com is the first address for astrology on the web.